The Occupation: The Fall of the Four Nations
by IGdude117
Summary: The Helghan Empire has conquered their enemies. Now, at the peak of their strength, the Helghan Empire sets its sights on its newest conquest; the world of Avatar. Rated M for strong language, graphic violence, and mild suggestive themes
1. Chapter 1

The immense army stretched into the distance. Battalions, Regiments, Armies, and Army Groups were all insignificant terms to describe the sheer number of Helghast troops that stretched across the Patriot Plains in front of Visari Palace. Autarch Scholar Visari smiled with pride as he surveyed the ranks of helmeted, gas masked, Helghast soldiers. Next to him, Colonel Radec stood stiffly at attention, resplendent in his gold-trimmed armor. The mic was still off, and Visari turned his pale, bald head to the side.

"Isn't it something, Mael? To think that the day we have dreamed of has finally come; To think of our glorious cleansing of our city, to think of our gift to the peoples of Vekta and Earth, the Helghan way? And now, poised as we are on beginning our great expansion across the universe, we happen to find this lush new planet barely 100 light years away? My friend, this is the age of the Helghast."

Radec nodded, but remained silent in his respect. Clearing his throat, Visari tapped the mic, and the legions of Helghast soldiers straightened; gunships, battleships, cruisers, and fighters soared overhead, and divisions of tanks, mechs, and elites stood resplendent in their glory. Even the towering figures of the MAWLR battalion, all ten of them, watched over the gathering in potent silence. Even the large number gathered here did not properly reflect the true size of the Helghast army; the garrison for Helghan, the true believers from Vekta and Earth, and many more divisions were embarked on Dreadnoughts bound for Helghan's third conquest.

"Soldiers of the Helghan Army," he began, his passion for rhetoric returning.

"We are poised on a Great precipice in our history! You, my loyal legions, stood by me when we pushed back the diabolical invaders from the ISA and UCA. You, my legionnaires, marched forth for me when we marched on Vekta itself, and tamed its undying hatred for our superiority. You my innumerable legions, fought for me when we launched our assault on Earth. Now, look at where Helghan is."

He paused, taking a deep breath; and the soldiers seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

"We are the undisputed masters of Mankind!"

The cadres of soldiers broke into cheers, guttural shouts ringing in the air.

_"Helghan! Helghan! Helghan!"_

"We now set our sights on a lush world ripe for the taking. With our great ally Stahl Arms, who have manufactured great weapons of War, we go now out of our great boundaries to colonize our next great colony. So go now, my valiant Sons and Daughters, and spread the glory of Helghan to the universe!"

As the deafening cheering erupted, and the hordes of tanks fired a volley, Visari turned, smiled, and reentered the palace, Radec at his side. As he walked down the hallway, Jorhan stepped out of a doorway and followed him.

"Well, Jorhan, what did you think?"

Stahl smiled, striding in step, nodding satisfyingly.

"An inspiring speech, Autarch. But we have a… problem, my lord."

Visari frowned, and looked at him.

"What is it?'

"My Lord, the scouts have returned; It appears… there are humans on Beta Solaris."

A mixture of shock, anger, and stunned surprise registered on Visari's face; after a spluttered grunt, he regained his composure, fighting his firey temper down.

"No matter. They will be eradicated…. Send the Fourth Field Army; Colonel Radec shall assume command. Consult with Orlock, Stahl, and get rid of this vermin. Our Empire will not be denied," he said, striding down the hall.

"My Lord, if I assume command, I cannot guard y—" started Radec.

Visari silenced him with a gesture.

"Your genius can be best put to use there. Go for me, Radec, and bring glory to Helghan."

Radec bowed stiffly, remaining behind. As Visari walked, his annoyance at the delay boiled over;

"Radec… leave none alive."


	2. Chapter 2

Stiffness pulling at his muscles, Aang the Last Airbender, stood, stretched, and yawned. Scratching at his beard, he made his way over to the small mirror inset in the wall. As he looked at his reflection in the black-tinted glass, he tried remembering the last time he had been here, in the Fire Nation. All those years ago, when they had been hiding from the Firebenders, when Katara pretended to be a river spirit, when they had to talk to Avatar Roku. It had been so long ago. Aang was now twenty-five years old; as was Katara, his wife.

Again, as always, he felt a longing for Katara; it had been over a month since he had seen her last; she had made her home in the Southern water tribe, which had been rebuilt by Pakku and Katara's Grandmother.

Yet here he was, happily spending time with his friend Zuko, working on reforming the Fire Nation. Tiredly, he summoned some water from a nearby water basin and washed himself, then dried off with a burst of summoned air. More awake, Aang put on his orange and red robe, tying the sash. As he made his way to the door, however, he could not shake the sensation that something horrible was coming...

* * *

Trooper Kar Forghae gripped his StA-52 Assault Rifle in his hand, his already-white skin even brighter due to the immense force with which he held his gun. Sergeant Graut, his helmet off for the moment, called for the squad attention.

"Men, today is to be an easy day. Now, I know you're all tired from the bloody space travel, but it turns out Beta Solaris is already occupied by humans. Now, don't ask, and don't give a s-, because this doesn't change anything. We're here to get in, get out and clear the planet for occupation. Order of the day is subjugation; any locals give you a hard time, frag 'em. We don't have the facilities for prisoners."

The men, in gas masks, remained silent. Graut put his helmet on, the red, glowing eyes of the helm shining brightly. When he spoke again, his voice was deeper and synthesized through the external speakers.

"Now let's load up; one at a time now, ladies"

The twelve soldiers of Squad 9, 5th Platoon, Company K of the 43rd Division smacked their fists into their chest plates and strapped themselves in the Haedes class lander. Kar sat next to the corpsman, Rekk, and engaged his straps, and safely stowed the StA-52 in the seat holster. This was his first op, and he didn't want to get this one wrong...


	3. Chapter 3

"So move the Fourth Regiment closer to the Western Border!" shouted Fire Lord Zuko, as he slammed his fist into the table.

The generals gathered in the throne room flinched in fear as flames threateningly flickered from the Fire Lord's hands. Aang, who stood to the side, frowned disapprovingly. More and more recently, as Earth Nation guerillas attacked Fire Nation camps in revenge of the War, Zuko had turn to the mindset of his father; his fiery rage more often than not boiling over. He was becoming more like the obsessed Prince that had chased Aang through the corners of the Four Nations.

Irritated, Zuko dismissed the Generals, who saluted and quickly scurried away. Once the room was cleared, both Aang and Mai, Zuko's new wife, went to his side.

Aang remained silent, shaking his head when Mai gestured with her hand.

"Zuko… you need to take a break," she said, tentatively.

He snarled at her, the dull red of fire flashing in his eyes.

"You don't understand! These Earth Nation scum will not stop until all of us are dead! Its us or them, get it?!" he screamed.

Aang lay his hand on Zuko's back, and Zuko looked at him uncertainly. The lisping, stuttering teenager was gone; the Zuko looking at him now was a grim, mature man, with a quickly fading scar on his eye. Their friendship that had stemmed from hatred made their bond all the stronger; and Aang was eternally in debt to Zuko for his assisting Katara in defeating Azula.

"Zuko, I…"

Aang's sentence was interrupted by a piercing roaring from above the palace, followed by a massive explosion from the city.

Zuko's head snapped up in surprise, as did Aang's; the old adrenalin rush of battle began flowing through them.

"What was that?!" Zuko said.

More explosions resounded from the city, and a strange, metallic rattling sound resounded from the city. Pure instinct taking over, Aang summoned theair-ball and sped out the door, Zuko and Mai sprinting after him. Stopping on the steps, Aang's mouth dropped open in shock, as did Zuko's and Mai's.

In the sky, distant as a faraway mountain, a massive ship hung in the sky, with swarms of dots streaming down to the city.

Streams of Fire Soldiers ran down the steps, spears and bending readied. In the distance, the rattling increased. Zuko stopped a bloody and soot-covered soldier running towards the palace.

"Soldier; what is this?!"

The man looked around wildly, panting heavily.

"The… city has been overrun; they… they came from the skies; their eyes glow like fire and they spit metal at us; we are finished."

Upon finishing his sentence, he collapsed to the ground, and they could see a ragged, bloody wound in his back. Aang and Zuko shared a look, and together, they sprinted down towards the city, Mai following, her stilettos ready.

Trooper Forghae fired his StA-52 at the native instinctively, and found a measure of satisfaction and horror to see the man, studded with bulletholes, collapse like a sack of potatoes. The initially expected pushover natives had shown themselves to be some sort of mutant; upon landing, they had been greeted by soldiers who had summoned flames from the air and scorched the Helghast soldiers. Private Grex had been burned alive, screaming, from the flames.

To be honest, they had fired at anything that had moved; civilian or soldier. The natives remined Forghae of the holo-casts he had seen of the Ancient Civilizations of Earth. The ones who had populated Manchuria.

A few soldiers came around the side of the building, and Kar swung his rifle up and fired several bursts at them, disabling them.

"Move up!" bellowed Sergeant Graut.

As he sprinted forward, he fired a bullet into the head of a wounded soldier. He paused briefly and took in the scene. All around him, buildings were in flames. Other squads from the division ran to complete their objectives, and dead bodies, both Helghast and native, lay strewn through the streets. He resumed running, falling in with another private. The sound of gunfire and the occasional explosion from a VC9 Rocket Launcher was a constant sound.

As he ran, he looked up into the palace and saw three distant figures, sprinting towards the city.


	4. Chapter 4: One Year Later

It has been one year since the Helghast came. They came in a storm of fire and lead; there was nothing that could be done to stop their inexorable advance. They came in the millions; all of them clad in their armor and helmets. They were called "The Sky Demons", "The Dead" and "The Metal Men". The assault on the Fire Nation Capital was devastating to the extreme. The entire Fire Army was disabled in a swift blow. While many of the Helghast were killed, more and more simply took their place. Then came the flying machines; furies that would either disgorge troops where you thought they couldn't or dropping fire and bombs on you.

Then came the tanks; the machines. A colossal machine the size of mountains came later in the War. Where the Earth Kingdom had destroyed the Fire Nation's drill during the 100 Year War, this machine, "The Mauler" was invulnerable; it marched on Ba Sing Se with the footsteps of a vengeful god. After it had finished, scant remained of the city but dazed survivors and smoking ruins.

The Dead had come to the Water tribes in their infernal tank-machines, contraptions that shredded through the ice like it was paper. Many of the Demons were killed, but they would simply not stop coming. Then, the machines came; tore down the forests, built soaring edifices of iron. They brought the Petrucite; the lightning-rock. Then, when it was thought no more could come, the reinforcements came; blackening the sky with their ships.

And among the War, heroes fought and died. Katara, undeniably the most deadly waterbender, once destroyed an entire battalion of Sky Demons, and escaped to tell the tale. Eventually, it took over 5,000 infantrymen and vehicles to apprehend her. She resides in the Helghan Mutant Prison, a prisoner. Sokka, her brother, was the first to adopt the enemy machines; he and his band of guerillas would ambush Sky Demons, then take their weapons, ammunition, and gear. They have not yet been tracked down, but the Demons are willing to pay a lot for his capture.

Toph "The Battle Maiden" fought valiantly when the Helghast came to occupy the ruins of Ba Sing Se. After taking heavy casualties, the 12th Grenadier Division withdrew and pounded the city with Arc Cannons. She never appeared again, although it is rumored that she is in hiding.

Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and his wife, Mai, as well as Ty-Lee "The Assassin" and several other firebenders fought the crack 21st Shock regiment, and despite the Helghan 'informed' opinion, won. However, Zuko has disappeared, and despite the efforts of the Helghast, is still at large.

Aang the Airbender, dubbed "The Pallbearer" by Helghast troops fought and killed thousands of Helghast soldiers, refusing to ever give up. He rallied the shattered Earth Nation troops by revealing that, under their helmets, the Sky Demons truly were demons; with unearthly white skin and exaggerated proportions.

Yet he, too, has gone into hiding…

Aang walked down the street, hidden beneath his greatcoat with the hood up. Ever since the war ended, and the Sky Demons had occupied the planet, Aang had found it necessary to once again grow a full head of hair to disguise his iconic arrow, not to mention a beard and moustache. As the iron buildings next to stone ones passed him on either side, he wondered how on earth it had come to this.

Several Assault Troopers following an APC passed him on the street, and, as was mandated by the National Laws, but extremely humiliating, Aang stopped and held his fist on his chest in salute to the Helghast soldiers. Before, he would have refused, but there was no point now. Noncompliance was, more often than not, rewarded with summary execution. He walked by what had been the Rich District of Ba Sing Se, but was now a Helghast Settlement Office Facility; the hated institution that forced Nationals, as the natives were called, to cluttered slums in order to clear room for Helghast Settlers. Holo-posters showing his, Sokka's, and Zuko's faces flickered in the midday sun.

He stretched, yawned, then entered the dingy building with the flickering sign in Helghast lettering, but still known as "The Jasmine Dragon" to Ba Sing Se's inhabitants. Behind the refurbished iron furniture, the bartender, a wizened, large old man leaned against the wall, a Helghast mask and goggles obscuring his face.

Walking to the bar counter, Aang leaned against the counter, clearing his throat. The bartender's helmet turned.

"Give me a Jasmine," Aang said.

The bartender grabbed a bottle from the shelf and put it on the counter, popping the cap off. Smiling, Aang turned the cap over, so that the inside faced up. Stenciled on the inside, the outline of a white flower was emblazoned on the cap.

The bartender leaned on the counter, his trenchcoat bulky and damp.

"What is the most pristine flower, stranger?" he whispered.

"The White Lotus."

Smirking, Iroh took his mask off, his weathered face breaking into a smile.

"Aang… I thought it was you."

Taking a swig from the bottle, Aang savored the sweet, cold tea.

"You've gotten old, general."

* * *

Tomas Sevchenko, formerly a Sergeant First Class with the Alpha Centauri ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, for what it's worth) stared out the view screen in shock. His Trojan- class stealth cruiser was currently orbiting Beta Solaris' moon, and at this current moment, he had a clear view of Beta Solaris. He had heard through the Vektan Resistance that the Helghast were making a move to colonize other systems, but he hadn't expected to find out that humans were already on Beta Solaris, albeit in a pre-medieval state, or that the Helghast were so committed to a single army. As it seemed, Visari had mobilized the entire First Army Group.

His band of guerilla fighters had been operating out of Vekta's moon, Traejo, and they were well armed and dangerous. He had around 150 capable fighters, mostly ex- ISA Marines, Special Forces, and Infantry. Yet Alpha Squad was no more; he was all that was left; Rico had been killed on Helghan during the pullout, and Natko and Garza had been shot during the invasion. He was all that remained.

They kept their old ranks, and while many of the group had higher ranks, it was universally acknowledged that Sev was in charge on the _Revengeance_.

"Lieutenant Werkar, how many ships?"

Werkar, the ship's intelligence officer, studied the view-screen intently.

"Two Ares class Dreadnoughts, five Odysseus class heavy cruisers, three Ithaca class medium cruisers, and fifty Leonidas class troop carriers, but that's all that's visible," he said.

Taking another look, he started in surprise.

"Sarge, it looks like the _Visari_ is here."

_The Pride of Visari_ was a Zeus- class Heavy Dreadnought; the capital ship of the Helghan Empire, it was the most powerful ship in the entire galaxy.

"Do you think Visari is here?"

Lieutenant Werkar shook his head.

"Last I heard, he was still on Helghan, directing the invasion from there."

Sev stared at the display intently.

"Then who is it?"

Werkar thought for a while, then had a revelation.

"It's Radec; Admiral Orlock is on Earth attending to the garrison forces, and Stahl is on Helghan as well, developing new weapons. Radec is the only higher up not accounted for."

Sev cursed.

"Fuck. That means they're ready to play hardball with Beta Solaris. Do we have any intel on their ground forces?"

"Well, it's the Third Army Group; so the 12th Division, which is mechanized, the 45th Division, which is primarily Assault Infantry but some Grenadiers, the 52nd, which is a Shock Division, the 453rd, Mechanized Infantry, as well as the 21st, 345th, 923rd, and 951st Division. All told, they have around five million ground troops, ninety thousand vehicles, and twenty thousand air vehicles. Oh, and one MAWLR."

Sev grunted in sarcastic amusement.

"A MAWLR. No biggie."

He stared at the screen intently for some time.

"Someone put the map up on the main screen."

The collection of continents on Beta Solaris came up on the screen, looking like wisps of smoke. Captain Travis, Sev's second in command, stood next to him.

"We could try landing on the volcanic island to the West; Haedus Minor."

Sev turned his head to look at the small, red-tinged archipelago, then shook his head.

"That's the first place they attacked. I doubt there's anyone left."

"The leader of the guerillas to the west, a," he paused, looking at his holopad, "Prince Zuko last was seen in the city. If we can get in contact with _him_, then maybe…"

"No," Sev said, cutting Travis off. "We need to find this 'Avatar' character the locals keep talking about. We get to him, and we have the locals on our side."

"Sev, they were still in the pre-medieval stage."

Sev turned to look at Travis.

"By now, they've had enough exposure to the Helghast that they'll be remotely familiar with utilizing modern tech. Plus, you read the intel reports; these natives have psychokinetic powers; the ability to manipulate the elements… it's amazing. It could be the edge we need to end the Helghast once and for all."

"That's what you said on Helghan."

"This is different. Get Gregory for me, would ya?"

The dimly lit backroom was devoid of furniture, other than a table with the White Lotus stenciled on. Aang sat in a corner, leaning against the wall with his chair. After about ten minutes, the door opened again, and a collection of four hooded figures filed in the room, one of them Iroh, who locked the door firmly. He had closed down the shop a few minutes earlier, and locked up the entire house. Of course, if the Helghast came, that wouldn't stop them, but their network of sentries and lookouts would prevent discovery.

One by one, the figures removed their hoods.

Next to him, Toph Bei Song stared emptily into space, her blank, dull eyes devoid of expression. She had aged a lot, however. She was only 25, the same as Aang, but the War had taken years from her; as had the destruction of her family home and Ba Sing Se, her capital.

"Twinkletoes," she said, more of an affectionate nickname now more than anything.

Across the table, wearing dull, blue robes, Sokka removed is hood as well. He too, had aged, and the tragedy of Suki, Sokka's girlfriend, who had been imprisoned by the Helghast. The practical, kid-like joker that Aang had known was gone; replaced by a grim, serious, and coldly effective leader, more reminiscent of Hakoda, Sokka's father.

He merely nodded at Aang, and Aang reciprocated the gesture; they would talk later.

The final figure to remove his hood wore a Helghast mask; the gas mask's heavy breathing sound resolved into a hiss as the man removed the helmet, revealing Zuko.

"Zuko!" Aang said, standing. As far as he had known, Zuko had died in the Fire Nation Capital when the Helghast razed it to the ground from their ships. Zuko smiled grimly, chuckling softly.

"They couldn't get me, hard as they tried."

Iroh cleared his throat, and the room fell silent.

"My friends, I called us here today to introduce you to someone."

A tall man, with green, protruding goggles around his neck and black and dark green armor stepped in the room. Immediately, the leaders tensed, sensing that this man was off world. Laden with gear, and sporting a lethal-looking assault rifle, slung across his back, the man surveyed the room's inhabitants.

"My name is Shadow Marshal Gregory, and I'm here to help you."

Toph frowned distrustfully, and Zuko looked to be on the urge of attacking the man. Sokka merely studied the man, detached, and Aang spoke for the group.

"You are not from this planet. Are you Helghast?"

"No, I'm Vektan."

This response was met by confused looks from the leaders. Sighing, the Shadow Marshal sat down.

"Get comfy; this is gonna take a while."

* * *

**So this is just a little project I've been working on. Let me know if you have any suggestions, and please let me know what you think about the story so far. The gist of the story I've been trying to accomplish is; how do Last Airbender characters act when they've been through war and destruction the likes of which they've never seen.**

**Sincerely,**

**IGDude117**


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